


The Dancing Dragon

by Young_Leaf



Series: The Avatars Melody [1]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - A Song of Ice and Fire Fusion, Arranged Marriage, Child Abuse, Disabled Character, Dragons, F/F, F/M, Graphic Torture, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Inspiration from real life cultures, M/M, Multi, No Beta, Politics, Slavery, Trans Male Character, colonisation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:01:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23029762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Young_Leaf/pseuds/Young_Leaf
Summary: Katara is training to harness the power of waterbending, in hopes of being able to help rebuild and defend her peopleSokka is being groomed to take over as the head of his people, and hopefully lead them to economic prosperity  and protect them from the Mad KingZuko is the heir of the rightful Firelord, who finds something that will change historyToph is supposed to become a concubine to a man twice her age, something that she runs away fromSuki prepares a rebellion against the Earth Kingdom, hoping to be successfulOne day, when Aang, the last known surviving member of an Air Nomad tribe is found alive in an iceberg, the world comes tumbling down
Series: The Avatars Melody [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1664590
Kudos: 20





	The Dancing Dragon

**Author's Note:**

> Almost all the cultures of all nations are a mix and match of various cultures, and will contain some of the lore from canon. The * is used to denote something I’m not sure of. The only exception to the aforementioned statement is the Air Nomads, with which I am taking certain liberties and remodelling.

As a child, Zuko had always been told stories of the greatness of his House, the line of _Ryū_ , how they had united all the kingdoms of the continent under their rule, how they tamed dragons and slaughtered the giant reptiles that disobeyed commands, about the great exploits of Firelord Sozin and those before him, and other such tales.

Now the great House of _Ryū_ had been scattered and torn apart by rebels, who now occupied the _Ryūgū_ - **** _jō_ in support and favour of his Father after deposing of Uncle and Grandfather.

Azula was nowhere to be found, and it was assumed that she had either ran away or died during the coup, while his Mother, Ursa, said to be from a family only second to her husbands in purity of blood (After all, Dragons didn’t mix with lowly commoners), was rumoured to have been executed in secret, as she had supposedly participated in the coup by poisoning Firelord Azulon, and Ozai had feared that she might do the same to him.

He ran, as far as he could carry himself, with his Dao by his side, on that fateful night, unwilling to subject himself to the fate his Father probably had in store for him. He ran and ran until he had reached the port, only allowing himself to collapse when he snuck aboard a merchants ship safely. He curled into a ball, and prayed to the _Ryōjin_ , in his underwater palace, for a safe journey and to _Amaterasu_ , _his ancestor,_ for a destination where he’d be far from his Fathers grasp.

This was four summers ago, when he was a child of thirteen summers, unwise and innocent to the methods and ways of the world and court. He was now seventeen, and could see through any deception that might be thrown his way. If he was still in court and under his Father (Not his Uncle, never his Uncle. He had always respected him and acknowledged that he was a true man, no matter what they said), he’d be made to sit demurely, and wear _jūnihitoe_ as he sat behind a translucent silk curtain and marry a man, to whom he would hold no affection for, and bear his children. He’d not be allowed to bear any heirs to the throne, no, that honour would go to Azula, had she still been there after the coup, who’d have her own imperial harem of concubines and a husband, who she would be allowed to dispose of once his purpose was served, and she would arise as Firelord, over her brother, the rightful heir to the throne, the adoptive son and nephew of the true Firelord, Prince Iroh.

Yet, he still wanted to return. He wanted to return to the palace, with red _shōji_ , which opened to the garden with _oleanders_ in bloom, and _sakura_ petals floating downwards, before delicately settling on the surface of the _koi pond_ , causing gentle ripples, where he and his Uncle would conduct _sun_ _viewings_ during the solstice. He liked the _Sumpu_ _Teien,_ better than the Main Palace Garden, with its _Dragon_ _Pond_ and its stepping stone path, which his sister was more fond of, and would sometimes push him into.

But he couldn’t. Not with how he was bringing shame and dishonour to his Uncle and Mothers names. He worked odd jobs for a short while in each village he passed through in the _Chang’ an-Tianshan Corridor._ But, when he was on the road which the Earth Kingdom used to transport its silk domestically and to the ports at the edge of the continent, for export, he committed many deeds, many sinful deeds. He had stolen from the merchants he came across, and he didn’t even have the courage to show his face. He hid himself behind an _Ao Hannya omote_ that was similar to the one his Mother owned.

He wanted to cry, he wanted to rip his chest in half, until blood stained his clothes and he had a _red vest._

He wanted to abandon his stolen mount, and run through the _Corridor,_ until he ran into _Kuchisake-onna,_ whom he would scream “ _No!”_ at, when she asked him if she was beautiful, just so she would cut him and half, and so that he could be done with it.

She wouldn’t though. She’d scoff at him and leave him to rot in the middle of the dusty _corridor_ , with only his tears left to sate his thirst. Death was a mercy for one who had dishonoured his family as he had, yet couldn’t bring the blade to their hair, to cut the most sacred gift their parents could give them, their hair.

He was one of them.

He screamed into the cold and dry night air, with no living beings but his camel, to hear him.

* * *

Toph is told that she should consider herself lucky that she has been chosen by the governor, despite the fact that she is blind and doesn’t have her _feet bound_ (in order to help her feel her way around),both undesirable and ugly features in a woman of her stature.

It was a well known fact about the Earth Kingdom, that according to their social views, women were just as good as second-rate citizens. The only way to move up in society, was to marry rich, obey your husband and have as many sons as possible.

She was forbidden from learning how to read or write (Something which never really mattered to her. She was blind for _Caishens_ sake!), and made to learn sewing and other mundane tasks she had no interest in. Everyday, she was prepared to take on the role of the dutiful wife she would have to one day fulfil.

Now, she was fourteen, and was about to be neatly packaged off as a _qiè_ for the governor of Gaoling. If she was lucky, she’d become his favourite and would receive the best treatment, while her parents reaped the political benefits of this deal.

It didn’t matter if she was the worlds best earthbender. It didn’t matter if she could hear the ground speak. She was a woman, just another second-rate citizen, no matter how wealthy her parents were. She wanted to take the blade to her long flowing hair, one of the most important gifts from her parents, alongside her flawless skin, which was maintained as was seen fit for a woman of her standing in society. She wanted to cut it off, stamp on it in front of them and throw their filial piety in their face, as she walked out of the gates of the estate.

And that, was just what she was going to do.  
  


When nightfall came, Toph snuck into the kitchens, silently sneaking past the servants. It was usually empty during this hour, and to her relief, it was. She moved her hands across the wooden and stone counters, until she felt a blade press softly against her hand.

’Aha!’ She thought, as she scrambled to find the handle, trying to make no noise. When she finally got the stone handle, she felt a slight sting in her hand, probably from touching the blade. She moved her hand along the top of her head, until she reached the length she was satisfied with. Then, she grabbed it and moved the knife around, and after a few more minor cuts, she found the bunch of hair that she was holding, and began to cut it off as cared as she could. When she was done, she placed the knife back on the countertop, threw the hair that she had cut on the ground and stamped on it.

Once she had finished the process she began to sneak out of the kitchen, and off of the estate. She had done it before and she would do it again, for (hopefully), the last time in her life. She would have to abandon her _ruqun_ somewhere else, and get clothing to fit her needs, probably a _tangzhuang_ while travelling through the _Corridor,_ and then a _yukata_ or a light _salwar kameez_ when she finally reached her destination.

They might kill her on sight, after direct orders from their ruler, after all, when it came to the line of rulers in that corner of the world, there were only two options for their future, the two sides of the same coin: Madness or Greatness. When one of their line was born, the gods tossed the coin into the air, while the rest of the world held their breath to see how it would land. For their current ruler, it had unfortunately landed on Madness.

However, women there had rights. They could hold government posts, marry the people of their choosing, have jobs, get divorces, they could even rule, from what she had heard. It would be a risk, but it was a risk that she was willing to take.

It was settled.

  
She was going to the Fire Nation.

* * *

Katara was born with an extraordinary gift that hadn’t been seen amongst her people since the last battle with Firelord Azulon eleven winters ago.

Waterbending.

While those around her murmured about how she was extraordinarily gifted, all she could think of was her Mother, Kya, who had died, protecting her daughter, the last potential practitioner of the almost extinct art gifted to their people, by _Igaluk*_ _and Aukaneck*,_ in the Southern Tribes.   
  
The people in the North, their sister tribe, did nothing to help them rebuild, ignoring requests for assistance, yet still demanded that they send men to man the wall, to help defend them from spirits. Katara would never be allowed there, for the North, for some odd reason, had something against their women learning how to fight. They weren’t as bad as the Earth Kingdom (The woman who had run from there to escape their homeland, told tales that were almost as terrifying as the _Wendigo),_ for sure. The women could do almost everything except hunt, perform ceremonies, choose their spouses, sit on the council and fight. It was considered ‘unseemly’ for some reason none in the South could figure out. Even Sokka, with all of his stupid sexist jokes and his complete bias towards the Yue of the North, didn’t understand why they did that.

As a result, she would never learn Northern-style bending from anything but scrolls, the same way she learnt her tribes method of waterbending, alongside bloodbending, which was created by Master Hama, a friend of her Grandmother, the current chieftain of her tribe. 

It didn’t matter though, what the North thought of women, she refused to let her Mothers sacrifice be in vain, she was going to become the most powerful waterbender in the world.

And she was.

She served as her brothers chief advisor, sat on the council, took care of the rations, helped in healing the sick and injured, went on hunting trips, performed ceremonies and maintained the tribes defences. Yet, whenever the North came in contact, which was rare in the first place, the men would refuse to listen to her or her Grandmother, ignoring everything she did. Even Yue, when she found out that Katara managed all of this, was shocked and for a period of time, unnerved by it.

While Sokka believed that the North could change if the Southern Tribes united themselves once more and restarted friendly relationships, change, for the better, could occur for both tribes, Katara disagreed, and tried to disabuse him of the notion. The North lived in splendor and was not short of riches, while the South remained impoverished and continued to deteriorate in terms of economic condition, and unity? That was a completely different story. The Southern Tribes differed from each other in terms of culture, to the point that one could hardly see that they had all descended from _Uumarnituq and Aakulujjuusi,_ the first men. Katara didn’t consider it impossible, and was not against the tribes uniting. However, she and Sokka had both agreed that it wasn’t going to be easy.

She was certain of a few thing though, the Northern Tribe had no right to lord over the Southern Tribes, especially if they weren’t going to be of assistance and that she would gladly send their ice wall crashing, allowing _Sedna_ to take their corpses into the depths of her sea, and to feed it to her creatures.

* * *

Sokka, despite being the nonbending grandchild, was chosen as the next chieftain by his Grandmother, the current tribe head. Initially, he was worried about Katara’s reaction to this, but was relieved when she showed that she couldn’t care less, and went about her daily work, which now included being his advisor, which was panning out well, except for their disagreements. They both agreed that the Southern Tribes should be united, and they both agreed that it was easier said than done, considering the cultural and geographical differences. However, she held a more pessimistic view, however realistic it was, with regards to the Northern Tribe.

She believed that they couldn’t be changed, that they were selfish and sexist pigs, who never contacted their sister tribe unless they wanted something. They never responded to any requests for aid, which led to the growing resentment towards the North in the South.   
  
Like his people, Sokka wasn’t exactly fond of the people from the North (Except Yue. Katara said he was biased, but he honestly couldn’t care less), but he didn’t hate them as much as the others did, and actually had some hope for improvement of relations between the Southern Tribes and the Northern Tribe, which could eventually lead to unification under one leader, through which, the North would improve and break free from Earth Kingdom influence, which was present ever since _The_ _Great Divide,_ and change would occur. The women would be able to fight, he might have a chance to confess to Yue (and possibly marry her). 

It was all brilliant, if he said so himself. Unfortunately it was all easier said than done. _Igaluk_ willing, it would work, but as much as he hoped it would, he knew it wouldn’t happen anytime soon, with how the North was cutting itself off from its sister tribes, to their _near and further South_ , and absorbing more of the Earth Kingdoms culture, abandoning their own, living a rich life behind an ice wall, while the rest of them suffered.

He would rather hunt alone at night and be carried off by an _Amarok_ , than admit that Katara was right about any future improvements in their Tribes non-existent relationship with the Northern Tribe.

* * *

Since time immemorial, despite Kyoshi, the Avatar, the God amongst humans, declaring that the island was independent of Earth Kingdom rule, the Emperors continued to force their rule over Kyoshi Island. They claimed that it was their divine right to rule over the people, according to the _Tiānmìng,_ which the native people heavily disagreed with. A foreign ruler had no right to declare his rule over them, especially when he neglected them in favour of his own countrymen and did not allow them to have the same rights.

The islanders were restless and violent rebellions were common, until the Emperor increased control and tried to force them to assimilate Earth Kingdom culture, which led to a full-blown massacre of the officials placed on the island. This was viewed as a short-term victory , for the Earth Emperor pushed back hard, nearly driving the native populace to extinction. However, this served as to inspire future underground rebellions.

Just like Suki’s.

Originally started by her Mother, _Huizhong,_ who embodied everything her name meant. She was wise, loyal and well loved by the people. They all wanted her to lead them in the future if the rebellion was successful. Unfortunately this never came to fruition, as when she was thirteen springs, her Mother was captured and shipped off to the mainland, either to be executed or tortured in some kind of way. All Suki knew was that her Mother was mostly dead, never coming back and that she was now the new leader of the rebel group her Mother founded, the Kyoshi Warriors.

By the time she reached seventeen springs, she had lead the Kyoshi Warriors to several victories. Ambushing officials, killing them and cutting their scalps off as a war trophy of sorts, presenting it to their small Council of Elders.

She wasn’t satisfied with just this. She wanted to make her Mother’s dream reality.

Total independence from the Earth Kingdom.

It wouldn’t be easy. She couldn’t storm Ba Sing Se with her small rebel group, that would be impossible. She needed allies to join her cause. The first step, which was sneaking off the island was easy, but it would hard to get other nations to join her cause. The Fire Nation was out of the equation, she didn’t want it to become a case of _snake and mongoose._ The Air Nomads lived in the mountain ranges and also abhorred the Earth Kingdom, but it would be impossible to get their, and even if she did, they probably wouldn’t take to kindly to her and would probably kill her.

It left only one option for her.

The Southern Water Tribes.

They disliked the Earth Kingdom enough to help, and in exchange her people could offer aid when it came to defending themselves from the Fire Nation. It was only a matter if they accepted her offer or not, but it was worth a shot. All she had to do was run it by the Council, who would undoubtedly agree, sneak off the island and sail up North towards the Islands where the Southern Tribes resides.

It sounded perfect.

Too perfect for some reason.

* * *

Somewhere in the icy waters that separated the Southern Tribes from the North, an iceberg glowed for a few seconds 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt that Katara and Sokka’s view points are rather conflicting and don’t make sense, and my only excuse is that I am not very good at writing the aforementioned characters  
> Read glossary and commentary   
>  here 


End file.
